Author's Note

Enjoy the chapter. By the way, for anime fans, that 10-day torture reference, huh?

Imagine Breaker

The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words.

Philip K. Dick.

Location: unknown.

My day just went from trying to stop my tyrant sister from enslaving the place we called home, to being in a jungle with one angry horse.

I hope I'm not being duped.

My body throbbed with every movement, even the slightest of things, such as blinking hurt. I was in what looked to the ruins of a forest with my childhood friend, Rin Akame. How did we go from fighting a Yandere bitch who obviously has emotional problems, to being punched with such speed and force that it somehow...transported us to another place, apparently where horses talk?

Ugh, my brain is doing donuts right now, I'm that confused. But back to assessing the elephant in the room, or horse in the middle of a jungle ready to blow a gasket before anything else fucked up occurs. She still looked at me with fury in her eyes, yet her body language did not immediately inform me that she was ready to stomp us out if we had so much as breathed wrong. And who the hell was Ahuizotl?

''I'll say it again,-'' the horse spoke, albeit with a noticeable lisp in her voice, but from the voice I could tell it was female.. ''-who and what are you?''

Her speaking roused Rin out of her sleep as she slowly came to, viewing her surroundings before laying her eyes on our guest.

''What the hell is that?'' Rin asked, her voice as hoarse as mine. (pun intended.) ''Is that a hor-''

''Answer the question before I shoot you!" the horse demanded, drawing a small crossbow from her back and aiming it at us. ''What. Are. You?''

''We come in peace, wherever this is, first off,'' I said, slowly raising my hands to show that I was unarmed, making her flinch like a addict.

''Whoa, whoa. Calm down. . .I'm just showing you I have no weapons, neither does my friend here, right Rin?'' I nudged her, hoping she would get the hint.

''Mh-hmm. . .'' Rin understood and did the same as me, gazing at me out the corner of her eye as she growled a tad. ''We're not carrying.''

''G-Good!'' the horse exclaimed happily. ''Now, answer my question.''

''As you wish, we-'' I gestured to myself and Rin. ''-are what you would call, even though you probably wouldn't know; Humans.''

''And w-what species is that?'' the horse had a quiver in her voice.

''The best example we can give you is that our closest living relative. . .is the Chimpanzee,'' Rin said, her eyes boring a hole into the horse's.

''Whoa!'' the horse panicked and ducked behind some fallen stones. ''S-Stay away, I know how strong you guys are, you rip off pony limbs like they're butter, d-don't make me-''

''Easy there, easy there.'' I said, trying to calm her down as me and Rin got up on our feet. ''I'm sure that is a action you would not want to occur, shooting us, I mean,'' I said, making her eyes widen. ''Not that we want to or will hurt you. We're just as confused as you are, but we should be adults about this and talk things out. For instance, we never introduced ourselves. Why don't you start?'' I smiled, making the horse's eyes dilate.

''And why should I do t-that? I'm the one with the crossbow, so I-Aaaah!'' the horse yelped, her crossbow being levitated from her hooves and floating towards me. She must have had an idea of what was happening because she grit her teeth and chased after it, tripping over a uprooted stone and landing on her face. Looking up to face me, I held the weapon in one hand, the silver arrow poised right on her forehead, right underneath her hat as her eyes widened. At the same time, the Life Drive's color interface showed that Yuu's and Snow's pocket storage indicators were white, telling me that they were sealed, but Ai's was green.

''Because I have it now,'' I said, grinning. ''Thanks for the last-minute assist, Ai,'' I rubbed her head, making her blush and gush.

''Ai! You are welcome. sir!~ Anything to protect you!'' Ai giggled, her eyes glowing green, her telekinesis holding the frantic girl in place.

''Don't hurt me!'' the horse begged. ''Please, I was scared and didn't know what to-''

''Stop talking, little one,'' I sternly demanded, crossing my arms, wincing when I touched my stomach, the pain flaring up courtesy of Crazy Bitch socking me there and making me throw up. ''We told you, we don't want to hurt you. It's bad enough we don't know where we are or how or why we got here, but the least you can do is communicate with us, first thing of that being that you should understand that we won't hurt you. Second is that you should at least tell us your name so we discuss this and do this as adults.''

''O-Okay,'' the horse said, nervous. ''My name is Daring Do.''

''Good,'' I said. ''This is my friend, Rin. And I am Jamir. And this is Ai,'' I pointed to Ai somewhat mean-mugging Daring. ''Now, do you mind telling us where exactly we are, Ms. Do?''

''Oh. That's easy,'' Daring said, regaining some confidence as Ai disabled her hold on Daring. I helped her to her feet, lowering the crossbow so that the arrow faced the ground. ''You're in the Avernus Jungle, one of the oldest and most dangerous jungles in Equestria, home to the ancient and earliest descendants to modern day ponies, The Kwail-Lu,'' Daring said confidently, but frowned when we had blank looks on our faces. ''What, you've never heard of that before?''

''Does it look like we're from around here? I mean, look at us,'' I gestured to me and Rin. ''Does it look like we got the brochure when we checked in?''

''Okay, okay. Sarcasm aside, I guess I know now that you're probably not from anywhere around here,'' Daring huffed, sitting on the ground.

''Yea...'' Rin said. ''We had Hoverbikes where we came from,'' her voice was mostly quiet, meaning that she went for her classic 'Bait and Tackle' maneuver, where she would use her powers of manipulation to lure Daring into a false sense of security. It almost always works with anybody else if ever we want to catch someone off-guard, but I'm not so sure we'll need it, I mean, she is just one...well her, and there's five of us, not a good match up if you ask me.

''Wait, what?'' Daring asked. ''What's a 'Hoverbike'?''

''Tell you about it later.'' I dismissed the thought, waving my hand back and forth. ''And what do you mean by dangerous?''

''Well, most ponies who come in here don't leave. At all. According to the lore of the jungle, if you come in, the only way you could ever leave is by floating out of here as a spirit!'' Daring said, adding some flair to her voice.

''Ai.'' Ai puffed her cheeks out, mad. ''. . .So then why are you here, then?''

''Because it's lore, nopony today really believes that, especially not me, I'm an explorer extraordinaire! Danger is part of my life,'' Daring clutched her hat in passion. ''It's be a crime to myself to not be a explorer.''

''So, you basically pillage old, cliched temples, ruins, and camps for treasure, narrowly avoiding death and serious injury, while at the same time using extremely 'convoluted and over complicated when it can be simple to escape' methods just to have the thrill and knowledge only a select few could do what you do, only to fail?'' I summed up every Indiana Jones movie ever.

Sorry Indy, but being chased by a giant stone sphere is not all that appealing for a move or a realistic escape from the The Temple of Doom.

But, I still give him props.

''Basically,'' Daring smirked. ''It's a hard job, but-''

''Bullshit.'' I called, Daring whinnying. ''Not to you, just the things you do. Nowadays, where I come from, treasure hunting isn't as black and white as some of the movies I've watched portrayed it. Something truly hard is being tortured for 10 days on end, being subjected to starvation, hallucinations, severe allergic reactions, being attacked by rabid wolves, or being beat to the point where you can't remember basic facts about yourself. Now that. That...is hard,'' I crushed her hopes of thinking what she does is any more dangerous or horrible than what I went through, it just wasn't as immediate or lasting. ''And I happen to know somebody who is inhumane enough to do so without a second thought,'' I slowly exhaled, balling my hand into a tight fist.

''W-Whoa.'' Daring said, shocked. ''That's a tall order to fill there,'' Daring gulped, rubbing the back of her neck with her forehoof.

''Ai! It is!'' Ai defended me, pointing at Daring. ''So please refrain from mentioning how hard something is to my Master when it pertains to false hardships or complaining.''

''N-Noted.'' Daring chuckled nervously. ''So, why isn't is uhh. . .Rin. Yea, why isn't. . .Rin really talking?'' Daring observed Rin panting lightly.

''Ai! Not really any of your business, Ma'am,'' Ai huffed.

''So, do you think you mind telling me where we could have some place to help tend to our injuries?'' I asked, propping Rin up on my shoulder as Ai levitated our duffle bags in the air. ''I can imagine it's not wise to do so in a such a enclosed, unfamiliar place.

''Yea, there's a small village a few miles North I can take you to, but I'm not so sure you'll be welcomed,'' Daring took her crossbow off the ground, strapping it to her back.

''Let my Master be the judge of that, please!'' Ai landed on my head, folding her tiny arms in disbelief.

''Fine,'' Daring huffed, glaring at me and Rin. ''Let's get this show on the road, I guess. . .by the way, I'm sorry for what I did earlier. I panicked when I saw you, I thought you were-''

''Ahuizotl?'' I remembered the name she mentioned as she nodded. ''By the way, who is that? A friend of yours?''

''He is anything but a friend to me,'' Daring growled.

''Okay, I can tell that's a sensitive topic, so I'll leave it alone. And you have no need to apologize, Daring. Me, Rin, Ai, Yuu, or Snow would have done the exact same thing, having being put in your position. I'm just glad you heard us out, I wouldn't want Rin to break every bone in your body,'' I mentioned nonchalantly with a wave of my hand, making Daring flinch and zip up in the air.

''Wait, what?!'' Daring shrieked at the top of her lungs

''I'm being serious, Rin could have easily broken every bone in your body like a twig, no joke,'' I moved forward with Rin, hearing small snoring sounds, letting me know that she was asleep.

''H-How do you know that, I'm a Pegasus, I could easily fly away before she had the chance!'' Daring countered.

''Not effective in that regard, either,'' I clicked my tongue. ''Ai could easily hold you in her levitation field with both eyes closed and she wouldn't need to focus.''

''Well, I could-''

''Ai! Also not effective!'' Ai smiled with her eyes closed. ''For one, Ms. Rin has been reported to be so strong that she once took on 10 full-grown Gorillas and snapped all of their necks when they took her sweets, which she holds a great love for, even when she was a child. They taunted her afterwards, which led to their swift and possibly painless deaths. Furthermore, she has been repeatedly documented to have 10 times the strength of 10 of those Gorillas and is already 1,000 times stronger than the average human and 10 times of that of a professional body builder, making it so that she could easily break one of your limbs as if it was in fact, a twig,'' Ai explained, making Daring shudder.

''W-Well, I said I was sorry, so that makes us friends then, right? I mean, I'm just one pony, what could I hope to do against a-any of you?''

''Ai! It makes us acquaintances! My Master always tells me and my sister that nobody is really your friend until they start sharing more about themselves, so to me; you are still a stranger. And you could do practically nothing, should you have chosen the route to fight!'' Ai said, sending Daring's hope for regaining pride down the drain.

''So, where is this little village of yours, exactly? I would want to get there before night catches us. Plus, I would really feel more comfortable treating Rin's injuries somewhere I can have cover,'' I trekked forward, still finding it a tad funny how Rin is so light. She weighs about the same as a small dog, like a Corgi. Which is something I tease her about every chance I get.

''Sure, it's this way, but we may have a problem getting you there,'' Daring turned around, preparing to walk.

''Why?''

''There's a kinda of...well...how can I put this? A giant chasm in the way, almost spanning about 100 feet across. The most common ways to get past are by flying or swinging on vines.''

''That's it?'' I asked, raising a eyebrow. ''You do realize that, since we're related pretty closely to the Chimpanzees, climbing trees and swinging across vines should not be too hard, especially for me and Rin. But isn't there a quicker way?''

''If you say so, but I've found it hard at times,'' Daring shrugged. ''But there is one way that we can get there in half an hour, but we're going to have to use The Marshlands.''

''The what?'' Ai asked.

''The Marshlands; a huge bog filled with all kinds of creatures, poisonous plants, and who knows what else. It'll get us there in about 10 minutes if we hustle, but it's seldom used because most think that it's a bottomless pit,'' Daring wiped some dust off her hat. ''Once we head in, we can't go back, okay?''

''Roger that,'' I nodded. Following Daring's pace, I still was very cautious of where exactly we were and found some assurance that our guide at least heard us out before shooting me with an arrow just making Rin all the more angry. I was angry, tired, hurting, lost, confused and only had one thought; 'Get home.' So as we set out past the treeline, clouds slowly gathering overhead, preparing to rain down on us, we came to a clearing with a few more ruins that showed a most beautiful sight ahead.

''Through there-'' Daring pointed to the entrance to the ruins. ''-is what'll get us into The Marshlands. You ready to get this underway?''

''Yea, but before that; I have to ask, what exactly where you hoping to find here?''

''A new treasure, and this is supposedly the biggest one that could top all the others I've found. While the risk is huge, the reward is even sweeter. Some say it even has mystic powers of the Kwail-Lu. I would ask you to join me, but seeing as we got off on the wrong foot, that may not be a real option in the future anytime soon,'' Daring rubbed her neck.

''Wait, mystical powers, you say?'' Ai asked, thinking. Then she smiled after a moment. ''Master, perhaps she can help us find a way back home!''

''Home? Where's that for you?'' Daring turned her head to look at us.

''Somewhere you don't you know.'' I shook my head, sighing.

A different planet called Earth, my darling. Not that she would know that. But Ai is right...if this so called 'treasure' has powers, it could help us get back to Detroit. It's bad enough we left the town in virtually the care of nobody to at least try and stop Junko's plans of assaulting Central, but she might have already succeeded. Shit, I'd rather feel more comfortable with Rin there, at least she could be a big help back home. Just...up and left, gone! And by none other than Crazy Bitch!

''And what is this treasure exactly?'' I brought up a good point, wanting to check her facts on the matter. For all I know, she could just be luring us into a trap to get us to let our guard down, and BAM! She puts arrows in both of our backs.

''It's the fabled, legendary item of a infamous tyrant, Maria Black. You see, She had a mystic item given to her by a lesser Dragon Lady before she became evil and almost caused the destruction of Equestria. Raza-Tak-Taurus, a fierce General in The Great Dragon War against the Zebras and Equestria. She gave Maria the Alicorn Amulet after Starswirl The Bearded warned her that it would corrupt Maria. But Raza didn't listen, She was one of the few who saw potential in Maria to use her magic for good, even after she turned evil. I was hired by Starswirl's late great niece, Graceful Wind, to get back what her great-grandfather set out to destroy. ''

''Raza-Tak-Taurus?'' I tilted my head.

''She-'' Daring said, pausing before continuing. ''was the one alongside, a Earth Pony Royal Guard-turned blacksmith known as Iron Hammer who were key assets that helped to stop the war. But the Alicorn Amulet is very dangerous. It corrupts, degrades and causes whoever uses it to go into crazy, destructive rampages that nobody has never come back from. But the power is beyond what something like the Princesses can do. I'm sorry, but that may be the only known way to pull off something like trans-dimensional teleportation easily.''

''Ai! And you know this how?'' Ai asked from uptop my head. ''Aren't you an explorer, Ma'am?''

''Yes, Ai,'' Daring commented as we proceeded in, moving past old cobwebs and the roots of trees. Inhaling some of the stale dust, I started coughing and had no time to see where I was going when I got a face full of some type of viscous, pale green, smelly fluid, Ai whining in discomfort with me. ''But even somepony like me wants to kinda explore outside our respective field from time to time. Mythology and Magic study just happened to be a few of the things that I find as interesting as vital for an explorer.''

''Ewww.~ What the hell. . .is this?'' I asked, dry heaving when I smelled it, the scent reminding me of moldy cheese and chitterlings.

''Oh, that is what you would call some of the building material that held together this old temple. It got the job done, but if it's in this form instead of solid, then it must really speak of how long it's been since the temple was constructed and how much longer it has until it collapses.''

''Oh, that is certainly comforting,'' I groaned. ''But, in response to your other comment, if that is the only way for us to get home, then I will have to take the chance if it means we can get back home and use that amulet.''

''And I'm telling you, that is something you do not want to do,'' Daring argued back, frowning. ''The last pony who used The Alicorn Amulet after Maria had it taken away from her by Starswirl was found in an alley, found skinned of all her fur, her mane and tail gone and shivering. But the worst thing was that she was. . .'' Daring looked forlorn to continue on.

''Was what?'' I wondered, seeing Daring almost lose her lunch at the thought of whatever she was going to say as we traversed the runs.

''She...was literally turned inside out, begging to be killed,'' Daring took her hat off as a sign of respect. ''Nopony should have to die that way. I may have just met you guys, but I'm telling you this as a 'friend'; you don't need to be going after the Alicorn Amulet. Trust me when I say that it cannot be the only way to get you back to wherever your home is. Unlike you, I've seen what it does to ponies, and I would rather swallow an entire salt shaker then even think about using that damn amulet. If you promise to help me find and return the Alicorn Amulet, I will promise to do everything in my power to send you back home, but we cannot go with the route of using the Alicorn Amulet because it's too dangerous. What do you say?'' Daring asked as we came into yet another clearing, but the feeling in the air was...depressing. I mean that in the most honest way possible.

Everything about it just screamed depression. The sky turned a paleish blue as dim lights from the small hovels lit the way. Crude bridges surrounded huge cypress trees that grew out of the ground. The entire atmosphere was unwelcoming, but I was was not any less comfortable if it was the opposite setting.

''Welcome to The Marshlands, Jamir,'' Daring told me, sweeping a hoof in front of the landscape in front of us. ''I just hope you're ready for this.''

''Ready...for what, exactly?'' I asked.

''Not even I can tell you that, but what I can tell you is that even though I just met you and your friends, I hope that this can be a fun adventure for the both of us, granted we don't die from going in The Marshlands,'' Daring re-adjusted her gear.

''Same here, but we can save the bonding and details when I'm certain Rin's been taken care of,'' I said, trudging forward, Ai and Daring right on my heels. Wherever in the hell we are, I can do nothing more than hope that the inhabitants are friendly enough to not 'shoot first, gasp and ask questions' later.